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From the Pit Box: Chicagoland with Phil Gould

July 19, 2013

From the Pit Box with Phil Gould – Crew Chief No. 2 Chevrolet

With the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series teams enjoying an off weekend, the NASCAR Nationwide Series will take center stage Sunday afternoon at Chicagoland Speedway. This week we sit down and got to know the crew chief of the No. 2 Chevrolet, Phil Gould, and his thoughts on preparing for and racing at the Joliet, Ill.-based track.

Celebrating his 10th season at Richard Childress Racing, Gould joined the organization as part of the 2003 Owner’s Championship winning Nationwide Series team. Over his years at RCR, Gould has worked for race winning teams and drivers in the Nationwide Series and Sprint Cup Series as car chief. A native of “The Garden State” (New Jersey), Gould grew up racing at Wall Stadium racking up multiple Street Stock wins. This year marks his first fulltime season as crew chief of the No. 2 Nationwide Series team with Brian Scott behind the wheel. Away from the track, Gould spends his time with his two young sons who compete on the local go-kart circuits in North Carolina.

Q: How do you set the No. 2 Chevrolet Camaro up for Chicagoland Speedway?A: Chicagoland (Speedway), like all mile-and-half speedways is a really aero sensitive track. We’ll try to put the car to the best attitude (height and rake of the car) then try to work around that. This usually results in speed at Chicagoland. I don’t think much from last year will apply to this weekend’s race, there are a lot of things that are different in 2013, especially the competition level.

Q: How does the track change during the race?A: As the race wears on, the track looses grip and gets slicker. Weather shouldn’t be too much of an issue; track temperatures should stay within range of expectations.

Q: What is/are the key(s) to success at this track?A: First, you have to have a fast car, and track position is key pretty much everywhere we go. If you have a fast car, you’ll be able to pass, especially at Chicagoland (Speedway).

Q: Favorite Race memory at Chicagoland Speedway?
A: My favorite Chicagoland (Speedway) memory was winning this race last year. We didn’t have the fastest car, but pit strategy really worked in our favor and we won the race.